The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a US federal government research institute whose mission includes "bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction," has officially admitted that marijuana extracts can kill cancer cells.

The institute has revised a page on its website entitled “DrugFacts: Is Marijuana
Medicine?” citing a recent study conducted by a group of
scientists at St. George’s University, London.
"Recent animal studies have shown that marijuana extracts may
help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of
others," the NIDA report stated, adding that evidence from
"one cell culture study suggests that purified extracts from
whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from
one of the most serious types of brain tumors."

The study, published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal
in November, discovered that cannabis helps "dramatically reduce"
the growth of new brain cancer cells.

"The benefits of the cannabis plant elements were known
before but the drastic reduction of brain cancers if used with
irradiation is something new and may well prove promising for
patients who are in gravely serious situations with such cancers
in the future," Dr Wai Liu, Senior Research Fellow and lead
researcher on the project, said.

Twenty-three US states have so far legalized marijuana in some
capacity, while an additional 12 have legalized limited medical
use of non-psychoactive cannabis extracts. Four states and the
District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. The
federal government still bans marijuana use, however.

In December when Congress passed a historic medical marijuana
amendment as part of the federal spending bill, the move marked
the first time in history that Congress approved legislation
rolling back the federal government’s war on medical marijuana
patients and providers. The bill features an amendment that
prohibits the Department of Justice (which includes the Drug
Enforcement Administration) from using funds to interfere with
state medical marijuana laws.

Earlier this week the Justice Department (DOJ) released a
statement that while it will not stop states that allow medical
marijuana from carrying out their programs, it will still go
after marijuana users, however.
“Consistent with the Department’s stated enforcement priorities,
we don’t expect that the amendment will impact our ability to
prosecute private individuals or private entities who are
violating the Controlled Substances Act,” Department
spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement, the Los Angeles
Times reported.

Policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, Malik Burnett, told
VICE News that NIDA's recent admission about the efficacy of
medical marijuana, coupled with the US Department of Justice's
vow to continue cracking down on the drug, is akin to a
"major hypocrisy" by the government.

"We have the Justice Department continuing to threaten
patients with arrest and prosecution in spite of the fact that
Congress has voted to prevent the Justice Department from
interfering with states that have passed medical marijuana
laws," Burnett said.
"These are all just parts of the major hypocrisy within the
federal government when it comes to the issue of marijuana."